


Another Dream Away

by foxxlight



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dragon shifters, Fluff, M/M, Minor Violence, Slow Burn, background (evil) character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 23:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11816418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxxlight/pseuds/foxxlight
Summary: For years Baekhyun has dreamed of a dragon prince, living out his everyday life within the confines of the dragon realm. What he hadn't realized was that the dragon prince dreamed of him too.





	Another Dream Away

Baekhyun knew he was dreaming the second his eyes blinked open to see a bright blue sky instead of the ceiling of his bedroom. He also knew that, whomever he was, he wasn’t himself. Ever since Baekhyun was a boy, as far back as he was able to recall, he’d been having similar dreams. He wasn’t sure what to call them exactly -- they were like lucid dreams, except that he had absolutely zero control over what happened in them and they felt all too real for him to pass them off as simple creations of his mind.

And while the contents of the dreams were always different, there were a few commonalities between all of them that he was able to pick up on. First, Baekhyun was never in his own body. He’d never seen the person whose body he inhabited -- through pictures _or_ reflections --, but he could tell it was the same boy over and over again by how it felt to move and how his voice sounded when he spoke. The second commonality was that, while Baekhyun was indeed _inside_ the boy, and could see, hear, and feel everything that the boy did, Baekhyun had no control over where the boy went or what he said. It was like he was simply a passenger within the boy’s body and not the conductor. He was meant to experience, but never to change. The third and final commonality that persisted were the dragons. In every single one of the strange dreams that Baekhyun has ever had there’s always been at least one dragon to be seen, and, from what he could extrapolate from the happenings in said dreams, the boy he inhabited was one of them. He’d yet to experience a dream where the boy was in his dragon form but Baekhyun didn’t have any doubts about it. This boy, and everyone he knew, were dragons very unlike the stories he’d heard growing up.

“Your Highness!” Someone shouted nearby and the man -- Baekhyun? -- sighed and sat up. Ah, that was another thing that Baekhyun had quickly learned when the dreams had begun. The dragon boy was actually a dragon prince. That was part of the reason he’d never been able to learn the boy’s name, everyone addressed him formally whenever Baekhyun was around.

“I’m getting sick and tired of you calling me that mockingly, Chanyeol,” the Prince glowered. Park Chanyeol was someone who appeared frequently enough for Baekhyun to feel as if the two of them were friends. In reality -- or in the Prince’s reality, Baekhyun supposed he should call it -- Chanyeol was another dragon noble. More than that though, he was the Prince’s best friend. When he’d first learned of their relationship Baekhyun had been hopeful that he’d get to learn the Prince’s name but, as it turns out, Chanyeol is a tall menace and enjoys teasing his childhood friend by calling him formally even when they were in relaxed settings.

In response to the Prince’s annoyance, Chanyeol grinned impishly. “We’re in public, your Highness, I wouldn’t want to take any liberties when--”

“Cut the shit,” the Prince interrupted, rolling his eyes when Chanyeol laughed. “I just wanted to nap in peace. Why is that so hard?”

“Because you’re a prince? Also because you’re napping out in the open where anyone can see and, really, it’s not a good hiding spot if that’s what you were intending because you always come to the hill overlooking the lake when you want to laze around.”

The Prince closed his eyes and groaned, cutting Baekhyun’s view of the taller dragon off. “What do you want, Chanyeol?”

When the Prince opened his eyes again his head was turned in his friend’s direction, allowing Baekhyun to see him sit down a few inches away. His face had suddenly lost all its mischievousness. “I ran into your brother in the library,” Chanyeol ignored the way the Prince snorted and inquired as to why someone as empty minded as Chanyeol was in a place like that. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

At this the Prince shrugged and Baekhyun found himself to be extremely confused. It wasn’t uncommon for him to have no clue what was going on whenever he dreamt of the dragons -- after all, he had no idea how much time had passed between dreams, or if they were even linear, though Baekhyun suspected that they were. Usually, Baekhyun just rolled with it -- not that he had much of a choice -- and tried to piece together what he could, but the ominous way Chanyeol was talking coupled with the feeling of anxiety that was eating away at the Prince’s heart had Baekhyun feeling sick to his stomach with unease. Baekhyun couldn’t explain what these dreams were, and he knew that if he dared breathe a word of it to anyone they’d think him to be crazy, but regardless of all that, he knew that he was connected to the dragon prince. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

“Kyu--” Chanyeol began to say, and Baekhyun’s heart leapt in his chest as he thought he’d get to hear the Prince’s name finally, but the Prince cut him off before the full first syllable could fully leave his friend’s lips.

“I don’t want to talk about this. There isn’t much to say about it anyway, we all knew this day would come eventually.” The Prince said it with an even tone but Baekhyun was able to feel how powerful his heartache was. He desperately wanted to know what the two dragons were talking about, an even larger part of himself wishing he wasn’t trapped inside the Prince’s body so that he could reach out and comfort him somehow.

“What are you going to do though?” Chanyeol’s query was met with a moment of silence.

Eventually the Prince said, “I noticed a strange type of tree in a few of the dreams, so I looked it up. It’s rare and only grows in the southwest.”

“Okay, so let’s say that works and you really find him just like that,” Chanyeol is quick to jump in with his reply. “Then what? He’s a human, not one of us. He won’t understand, and it’s not like you can just spirit him away like--”

“I know that already!” The Prince shouted, slamming his fists against the hard earth. Baekhyun’s never heard him sound so frustrated before, nor has he felt such agony from the dragon prince. He was usually good at keeping a cool head and looking at things from a logical point of view, even if his insides were stirring with uncertainty. Not for the first time, Baekhyun wondered if anyone knew the Prince better than he did, or if anyone ever would.

He was so caught up in his thoughts about how the Prince was feeling that he almost didn't register that all important word that had been said. _Dreams,_ Baekhyun recalled with a numb sort of realization, _the Prince had said something about one of his dreams._

“Of course I fucking know that already, Chanyeol. You have no idea how many times I thought this over in my head since the dreams started. Over and over again, I’ve questioned how this is all supposed to work and I’ve never even once come up with a good answer. But what am I supposed to do? The dreams have begun to come more frequently. At this point the pull is practically unbearable for me. No matter what the outcome, I have to go to him.”

Baekhyun suddenly felt as if someone had pulled the plug on his connection with the Prince. He could still feel what he felt, the emotional turmoil swirling around inside his heart, but it felt dulled in the way words would sound if you heard them from underwater. Baekhyun didn’t know what they were talking about, not really, but he felt sure in his heart that they were talking about him. The dragon prince had dreams of someone -- a he, they’d both said. This someone was also a human who lived in the southwest. Baekhyun was a male human who had dreams of a dragon prince that never really felt like dreams. And Baekhyun, he had lived in a small town in the southwest up until five months ago when he moved further south to study art under a book illustrator. 

Chanyeol’s hand clapped supportively on the Prince’s shoulder as he said something with an encouraging smile on his face but Baekhyun hardly registered it, still caught up in his own realization. He and the dragon prince really _were_ connected. All these years they’d been dreaming of one another. The more he thought of it, the surer he became. 

Baekhyun’s vision through the Prince’s eyes began to swim in and out of focus, but after having so many of these dreams, Baekhyun no longer worried something was wrong with either of them. Whenever he began to have trouble focusing through the Prince’s senses, he knew he was about to wake back up in his own body. He didn’t feel ready for that to happen yet, though. He wanted to hear more of the conversation with Chanyeol. He wanted more clues about what everything meant. But no matter how much he willed himself to be strong and hang on for even just a minute longer, it was useless. The Prince’s sight was lost to him completely, the other senses following soon after and then Baekhyun was waking up in his own bed.

Exhaustion tugged at Baekhyun’s limbs as he sat up in bed, sleep crusted eyes registering the cramped and cluttered room he was renting above a bar nearby his master’s workshop. Dreaming of the dragon prince usually left him feeling completely worn out the next day but it hadn’t ever really been a problem before he’d turned twenty. Previously, Baekhyun only dreamt of the dragon realm two or three times a year, sometimes a time or two more. Ever since he’d turned twenty six months ago, however, the dreams had begun increasing in frequency. At first it was just once a month up until three months ago when they’d increased to twice monthly. Last month they’d finally reached the weekly mark and Baekhyun was really feeling the fatigue from it all. Still, nothing could detract from what Baekhyun had come to realize.

“We’re connected,” he breathed in awe, hands fisted tightly in his sheets. “Everything I’ve seen has all been real.”

He wanted to jump up from his bed and dance around but space wouldn’t permit him to. He’d barely been able to fit a bed and his art supplies into the room, there was definitely not enough space for him to wiggle around excitedly. He couldn’t complain though, considering how cheap and convenient the location was for him. Moving away from home had been nerve wracking, but so far Baekhyun hadn’t come to genuinely regret doing it. He’d learned so much from his master already, he didn’t mind how meager his pay was or how cramped his quarters so long as he could take the steps necessary to achieve his dream. He guessed he’d need to put that on hold for a little while, until he figured things out with the Prince at least.

 _It’s hotter farther down south though,_ Baekhyun thought absent mindedly as he rose from his bed. _The southwest isn’t too much better but it_ \-- Baekhyun halted mid thought and mid motion, arm slightly extended to pick his sheets up from the floor.

“The southwest!” He exclaimed in disbelief, withdrawing his hand quickly. Immediately he began hurrying around the cramped space, grabbing a set of clothing to quickly dress into, all the while mumbling expletives. “I can’t believe I’m so stupid that I didn’t think about it until now.”

With a incredulous shake of his head, Baekhyun also grabbed a bag to stuff a few extra sets of clothes into before picking up his coin purse on his way out the door. His boots made the old stairs of the bar creak dangerously as he thundered down them but he couldn’t care less. Most of the other room renters were probably still sleeping, but he knew the barkeep would be up by that time and that’s all he had the sense to care about.

Baekhyun had expected to see Mr. Song preparing for the day’s business behind the bar, but instead he was met with his daughter Mina. It almost had him pausing in his hurried steps, especially when she looked up at him with wide eyes, probably shocked from his loud and abrupt entrance. In the end though, it didn’t really matter who was there so long as they had the authority to hear what Baekhyun had to say. 

“I’m moving out, Mina. I haven’t got the time to explain, there’s an emergency back home and I need to hurry back. I’ve got everything of mine that’s valuable except my art supplies, but my master will be coming to collect those for me. Anything you find up there after that is fair game. Tell your dad I said thanks!” And then he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him before poor Mina could get a word in.

♡

Regardless of how quickly Baekhyun hurried, it would still take him the bare minimum of eight or nine days to reach the town he was born in if he was traveling on foot. That was only assuming the weather held out and he didn’t run into any trouble, of course. Which is why about four days into his journey home, Baekhyun ran into -- you guessed it -- trouble.

It was another warm November day that left Baekhyun sweating and attempting to make his water supply last long enough to reach the spring about three hours travel from his location. Having grown up in the Southwest, he was no stranger to warmth all year round, and since leaving the city and traveling westward he’d definitely felt a lowering of the temperature, but it was exhausting to make the journey home on foot and mentally taxing to do so without a companion. It wasn’t a lengthy expedition by any means, but Baekhyun was unaccustomed to such trips and, on top of that, he was moving quicker than he ought to in his haste to get home and locate his dragon prince.

That’s why he almost doesn’t stop when he saw a figure lying off to his left under the shade of a rare grouping of trees. Baekhyun was in a hurry and going over there would take up valuable time, especially when the most likely case was that the stranger was also traveling and stopped for a rest under the shade. It was a wise idea considering how little of it there was around that particular area, and if Baekhyun didn’t think he’d end up wasting the entire day by lazing around, he might have considered stopping himself. As it was, he would have really prefered to carry on. So he did, for a few paces. More than that was impossible for him though, because his mind kept coming up with ‘what ifs’ and he couldn’t bare the thought of leaving a dying person on their own when he might have been able to help them.

The idea that the stranger was a bandit lying in wait for a kind hearted person such as Baekhyun to come along _did_ occur to him, obviously. The fact that it didn’t occur to him until after he was almost to the trees was something he’d rather put out of his mind. It was probably just a sleeping traveler, and Baekhyun would have wasted some time but have gained peace of mind and he could continue on from there without doubt.

As he approached the sleeping figure, a man who appeared to be around Baekhyun’s own age, he noticed that he was dressed strangely. He was wearing long sleeves, for one. That in itself wasn’t entirely strange, though. Baekhyun was also wearing long sleeves, but his light green button down wouldn’t attract much heat and it was made of a light and billowy fabric. The sleeping boy before him was wearing a skintight black and white striped fabric shirt, black pants tucked into black boots, and on top of that he wore some type of gray cloak that had a few buttons along the front and was equipped with a fabric sash that wrapped around his waist a few times. Baekhyun also noticed there appeared to be a scarf underneath his head. It was absolutely ludicrous attire for the area and Baekhyun was immensely glad he’d stopped. The stranger was probably not knowledgeable about the climate in the southern regions and was suffering from heatstroke at that point.

Baekhyun knelt down beside the boy and reached out his hand, prepared to shake his shoulder until he awakened so that he could urge him to remove a few layers and drink a healthy amount of water. He didn’t even make contact with him though. Before Baekhyun knew what was happening, he found himself pinned to the ground underneath the man he’d previously thought to be a dehydrated traveler. The hostile dark eyes and the dagger that was against Baekhyun’s throat proved otherwise.

He didn’t dare move, his own earthen colored eyes blown wide with surprise and fear. His belated bandit theory had started looking more and more true as the seconds passed. The man above him didn’t make a move to either kill Baekhyun or let him go, so the two remained in their positions, eyes locked. After a few more intense seconds where Baekhyun seriously feared for his life, the boy slowly drew back and allowed him to breathe a little easier, though he didn’t put away the knife nor did he allow Baekhyun to get up off the ground. His head, at least, was cushioned by the fabric the boy had been lying on -- small mercies.

“What are your intentions?” The dangerous way in which he was asked the question had him gulping.

“I-I saw you lying over here a-and I…” Baekhyun’s eyes darted down to the knife before quickly looking up again. “I’m just a traveler, I swear by it! My mom says I’ve always been a little too nice for my own good and so when I saw you lying over here I got worried and came to check and saw how you’re wearing all these layers and it’s so hot I thought that, y’know, maybe you were dying so I was going to help you. Now I see that I was wrong though, completely wrong. I’m sorry to have disturbed your rest so if you would just allow me to go on my way I--”

“You’re rambling,” the knife wielder -- as Baekhyun decided it was better to call him -- interrupted.

“Yeah,” he laughed sheepishly in response. “I talk a lot when I’m nervous. Although, some might say I talk a lot regardless but I think that’s more of a subjective-- right, I’ll shut up now, sorry.”

The knife wielder continued to stare Baekhyun down, and he was more than sure that he was being assessed, but as long as he came to the conclusion that Baekhyun was a harmless idiot than that was just fine. He would be more than happy to write the entire situation off as a learning experience and then never get involved with strangers ever again. Baekhyun was the live and learn kind of guy, after all.

The tense silence persisted for another minute, but after that Baekhyun felt the weight of the other leave him and his eyes tracked the knife being stashed away into the man’s sash. Once the weapon was no longer in sight, he allowed himself to slowly sit up, conscious that the stranger was still watching him, though his eyes were no longer hostile and threatening as they had been before.

“Um,” Baekhyun started a bit nervously, offering a somewhat shaky smile. “I’m Baekhyun.”

The stranger eyed him again before sticking out his hand, which Baekhyun took with only a second's hesitation. The handshake was firm and quick, though not so quick that he wasn’t able to feel how warm and smooth the stranger’s hand was. Distantly he thought it was a bit odd that someone who had thrust a knife at him so confidently didn’t have calloused hands, but the thought was interrupted by the other’s introduction before it could become a complete train of thought.

“Kyungsoo,” he offered after withdrawing his hand. Then he smirked and said, “Your mother was right, by the way. You should be more wary of strangers, especially when you’re alone and unarmed.”

Baekhyun immediately opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Kyungsoo was speaking again. “Kindness isn’t exactly a weakness, so I guess I’ll offer you my thanks, Baekhyun. But I won’t apologize for the rough treatment seeing as how you snuck up on me while I was sleeping.”

Baekhyun crossed his arms and pouted. “I’m not completely clueless! It did cross my mind that you could be a bandit or the like, but I was worried for your health so I approached you anyway. If anything, I think that proves I’m courageous.”

His words made Kyungsoo laugh and the sound struck something within Baekhyun. He wasn’t sure what the feeling that overwhelmed him was. All he could really say for sure was that hearing the other man laugh made him feel as if he wasn’t only just hearing it for the first time. No matter how impossible he knew that to be, he couldn’t help but feel as if Kyungsoo was very familiar. Perhaps they’d met before, but the feeling of encountering an acquaintance again for the first time felt differently than the feeling that overwhelmed him as he stared at Kyungsoo’s laughing face. No matter how much he looked, Baekhyun couldn’t pinpoint a place or time in which he’d seen the other before. There wasn’t even a vague inkling. It was just his voice that seemed to stir up odd feelings within him.

There was no time for him to dwell on the feeling though, for Kyungsoo had stopped laughing and risen to his feet, though his face still maintained his look of mirth. He reached behind Baekhyun to retrieve his scarf before offering the other a hand up. Baekhyun took it without hesitation this time, allowing himself to easily be pulled to his feet.

While brushing himself off, Baekhyun looked on as Kyungsoo tucked the fabric away into his sash. Without really meaning to speak allowed, he heard himself inquire about the other’s strange choice of clothing.

Kyungsoo glanced down at himself before sliding his eyes quickly over Baekhyun’s attire. “I get cold very easily.”

It was such a simple answer, one that Baekhyun had a hard time believing, but he didn’t want to push it. Despite their less than ideal start, Kyungsoo didn’t seem to be genuinely dangerous or unpleasant. Teasing, sure, and maybe a bit rough around the edges, but not someone who would kill him for the coins he carried, surely. Baekhyun also had things he didn’t want to share, even with his close relatives, so he could understand not wanting to spill his life’s secrets to a complete stranger.

So he nodded in acceptance of the answer. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay then. And that I stopped to check, even if you did attempt to slit my throat.”

“I did not attempt to slit your throat,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “You have the strength equivalent to that of an eight year old. If I’d wanted to kill you, you would be dead.”

“No I don’t! I know how to fight, you just caught me off guard, that’s all!”

Kyungsoo hummed in a way that implied he didn’t believe the other one bit.

Baekhyun threw his head back and groaned. “Why is everyone always picking on me? Seriously, what did I ever do to deserve this?”

Kyungsoo just shrugged and didn’t offer a response. It left Baekhyun hesitating, eyes wandering between his new acquaintance and the path he’d been traveling before he’d spotted Kyungsoo. He really needed to be on his way again, but for some reason he felt a bit reluctant to go just like that. He knew he needed to make haste, but still he lingered uncertainly.

“Well, I guess I… ought to be on my way again…”

Kyungsoo nodded, but otherwise didn’t respond. It made Baekhyun want to groan again, though he managed to refrain. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, but he’d hoped that the other would offer him some guidance, intentional or otherwise. It frustrated him a bit that he didn’t know what he was feeling all of a sudden. He had a mission, one he needed to carry out quickly, but despite knowing that he felt compelled to remain by Kyungsoo’s side even just a bit longer. A mere stranger, albeit one Baekhyun thought was a bit familiar, was keeping him from searching for his dragon prince. He’d waited so long for this, he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t eagerly hurrying on his way again.

Baekhyun took a few steps past Kyungsoo before pausing. Almost nervously, he turned and called the other’s name. “Kyungsoo? Where… where are you headed?”

The question seemed to amuse him for some reason, and Baekhyun felt the urge to act petulantly because of it. “Nowhere particular. I’m on a quest, I guess you could say.”

 

“Really?” Baekhyun exclaimed excitedly, sudden whirling back around to face Kyungsoo with the eagerness of a puppy. “Me too!”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “What are you planning on accomplishing with your childish disposition and no weapons?”

“Ah, you’re judging me again,” Baekhyun pouted a bit, but wasn’t really upset. Kyungsoo was right, he wasn’t prepared to go on any lengthy, drawn out adventures in order to locate a dragon prince whose face and name he didn’t even know. Not to mention the fact that to the ordinary person, dragons existed only in legends. He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing. This whole thing is spur of the moment, but it’s… it’s really important. I need to find him no matter what.”

Kyungsoo eyed him for a moment before releasing a puff of air. “You’re really serious about finding this person?”

Baekhyun looked up from where his eyes and fallen to the ground, his mind swirling around with pessimistic thoughts. He’d been so eager to set out that he hadn’t allowed himself time to think about any of the important details. It seemed Kyungsoo could see exactly what he was thinking, he had no doubt it was displayed on his face as clear as the sky.

“I guess I’ll accompany you on your quest then.”

With wide eyes Baekhyun sputtered. “W-what? But you don’t even know me! And you just said that you were on a quest of your own! It’s got to be important right? Why would you drop everything to help someone like me?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, and Baekhyun began to think that the other would be doing that a lot if he remained in his company. “Of course it’s important. If it wasn’t I wouldn’t have come all the way here,” he grumbled that last part in annoyance, Baekhyun biting his lip to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape. “But I don’t know where exactly I’m going either, and I’m better equipped than you. It’ll be mutually beneficial -- me with my weapons and survival skills, and you with your knowledge of the land.”

Baekhyun nodded his head, unable to keep his elated smile at bay. It would be a lot less taxing to travel in another person’s company, and Kyungsoo had a point when he said he was better equipped for the dangerous of travel on foot. “Then it’s settled! I’m glad to have you aboard.”

“We’re not on a pirate ship.”

Kyungsoo’s deadpan had Baekhyun laughing happily, the relief he felt at not having to go it alone more immense than he could ever express. “Don’t mind the details Kyungsoo, I never do.”

“Which is exactly why I should,” Kyungsoo replied with a pointed look.

“Right,” Baekhyun affirmed with a nod. “Then, since you’re the details man, can you tell me where we should be headed? The person I’m looking for should be somewhere in the Southwest region… it’s not a whole lot to go on, I know. But I’m actually from there, so I thought about going home first and then trying to figure out where to go from there. What about you?”

The two of them had migrated out of the shade and back onto the path Baekhyun had originally been taking by that point in the conversation. It allowed Kyungsoo to look up at the sky, a look Baekhyun couldn’t identify passing over his face quickly. 

“The person I’m looking for should also be around here.” He sighed tiredly. “That’s what I surmised the last time we were in contact, anyway.”

“Who are you looking for? They didn’t go missing did they?” Baekhyun asked worriedly. He couldn’t even imagine how it would feel to find out someone he cared about had suddenly disappeared.

“They didn’t go missing,” Kyungsoo assured him, though it did little to make Baekhyun feel better. “If I told you though, you wouldn’t believe me.”

Baekhyun simply nodded again, accepting his second lie from Kyungsoo. He understood, at least partly, and that was enough for him. “I could say the same, actually.”

Kyungsoo looked over at Baekhyun and the latter was struck by the pain that was suddenly very clearly displayed on Kyungsoo’s face. It made his heart ache, and at that moment he vowed to not only find his dragon prince, but to also locate the person Kyungsoo was trying so desperately to pretend he was fine without.

♡

While the days tended to be well above warm all year round, the nights could get a bit chilly, especially if you were used to the warmth of the sunlight. That’s why Baekhyun was more than glad to stick close to the fire, using the light it threw off in order to sketch. He’d left the majority of his art supplies behind, now more than likely in the care of his master (former master? He wasn’t sure what would happen concerning that.), but he hadn’t bothered to empty his bag before stuffing in the rest of the things he’d need to bring with him. Earlier, when they’d first stopped to eat dinner and rest, Baekhyun had remembered that there was a sketchpad and a set of pencils still in his bag from when he’d taken them throughout the city a week prior to his departure.

On the other side of the fire Kyungsoo was roasting the rabbit he’d managed to catch for their dinner. They’d been traveling together for approximately two and a half days, headed towards Baekhyun’s hometown as he’d originally planned. During that time Baekhyun had managed to learn what he’d consider quite a bit about his companion, despite Kyungsoo not speaking all that often. 

Neither of them had spoken about their respective expeditions since they’d decided to travel together, and Kyungsoo initially seemed to be a man of few words. The silences had never felt awkward though, and whenever Baekhyun felt a bit antsy he was free to ramble on about whatever he wanted, Kyungsoo indulging him with nods and somewhat short responses. This meant that Kyungsoo knew a lot more about Baekhyun than the latter knew of the former, but that was fine with him. He recognized that Kyungsoo was someone who chose his words carefully in the presence of people he didn’t know well; it reminded him of the way his hometown’s leader spoke to people who were passing through.

It wasn’t as if Baekhyun knew nothing of his companion, though. While the other was rather tight lipped about himself, he was able to show his character through his actions. For example, Baekhyun learned on their first night traveling together that Kyungsoo was intelligent and resourceful enough to hunt for their meals, something which eased Baekhyun’s worry about their meager food supplies lasting until they reached their destination. He was also able to pick up on the fact that, while Kyungsoo could be sharp tongued and easily annoyed by Baekhyun’s antics, the small smiles he hid proved that he actually enjoyed the other’s company even if he was weary to express it. It made him immeasurably happy that he could ease his companion’s soul, even if it wasn’t by much. Kyungsoo’s small smile at his lame joke was so much better than the worry Baekhyun would sometimes catch flickering across his companion's’ face when he thought he wasn’t looking.

Kyungsoo’s presence had also been helping relieve Baekhyun’s own worries regarding the Prince. He worried about how long it had been since the Prince had set out to look for him. Mostly, he was scared that it had been long enough for the dragon to give up on finding him. Part of Baekhyun didn’t think that would ever be the case, but all he had to go on was the conversation the Prince had had with Chanyeol, and he wasn’t exactly up to speed on the topic they were speaking of so he couldn’t be certain of anything. His heart had yet to steer him wrong yet though, so he resolved himself not give up hope that they’d be able to meet.

Baekhyun heard Kyungsoo’s footsteps as he approached and shifted positions so that he could meet the other’s gaze, but the latter’s attention was drawn down to the sketchbook which was illuminated by the firelight. Kyungsoo’s expression instantly contorted as he stared down at the drawing.

“It’s a dragon,” Kyungsoo stated in clear surprise.

Baekhyun hesitated in answering, looking back down at his sketch. Without realizing it he’d drawn Chanyeol in his dragon form. His mind must have wandered to the dragon prince’s friend while he’d been sketching mindlessly. It wasn’t the first time he’d drawn something he’d seen through the Prince’s eyes, but it _was_ the first time someone else had seen something Baekhyun remembered from his dreams.

“I like dragons,” Baekhyun finally replied, feeling a little hesitant as he gazed up at his companion, hoping to gage his reaction correctly.

“You’re… very good at drawing.” Kyungsoo hesitated for a second before getting comfortable beside the artist. “I remember you mentioned being an artist. Does your art have something to do with dragons? Or are they just a hobby of yours?”

“I don’t know if I’d call them a hobby, but I do have an interest in them,” Baekhyun explained with carefully chosen words. It was hard for him to shake the reluctance that had been stifling him ever since the dreams began. Regardless of how illogical he knew the fear to be, he still worried that if he ever made even the smallest allusion to the dragons that everyone would know of his secret. With Kyungsoo it felt slightly different than it did with others, like he knew of things that normal people didn’t. It was a strange observation, one that had absolutely no evidence to speak of whatsoever, but the feeling was enough to ease the churning of Baekhyun’s stomach. It was enough to have him opening up about something he’d only ever dreamed of. “The stories about them, now those I could do without.”

“Not a fan then,” Kyungsoo noted with a nod. “What do you like about them, in that case? What’s the difference between the dragon you drew and the ones from the stories you don’t like?”

Baekhyun puffed out a breath, the force of the air stirring up his dark bangs. “It’s hard to explain. Actually, maybe it’s not. It’s just that I’ve never really attempted to voice these thoughts to anyone before so I think… I’m just bad with words,” he finished lamely with a light blush.

When Kyungsoo laughed at his answer it wasn’t _at him,_ which helped to ease Baekhyun’s nerves a bit. He probably would have clammed up if the other had laughed at his sudden awkwardness and then he would have lost his chance to work through his thoughts with someone other than his reflection in the mirror.

“I’m pretty bad with words too,” he offered with a grin and a shrug. “Where I’m from my family is pretty important though, so I’m expected to have a certain level of eloquence that I just don’t posses. Sometimes I want to smash my head against the wall because of how much I’m scolded for it. I try my best to word things in a way that flows well, but it’s harder than people think it is. You should just say whatever’s on your mind and work through it as it comes, I won’t judge you for it.”

Baekhyun nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, that’s good advice. I’ll just say whatever I think of then.” He nodded again and gave his sketchbook a little squeeze. “Here goes. You asked what makes the dragon I drew different from the ones in the stories, right? Well, I think the biggest difference is their humanity. I mean, in the stories dragons are always giant, villainous creatures who kidnap princesses and terrorize townspeople. I’d really like to know who decided that, by the way. It’s stupid and annoying that dragons are always portrayed as evil beings in every story that exists in the land.”

“So, to you, dragons aren’t like that? They’re not evil, and they don’t kidnap princesses that need to be rescued by heroic knights with whom they fall in love?”

“No way!” Baekhyun shook his head, a disbelieving laugh slipping past his lips. “I really question the sanity of whoever came up with this stuff. The dragons I know are absolutely nothing like that. They possess just as much humanity as you and I. They have their own culture and they live together peacefully, away from crazy humans who would write stories like _that_ about them.”

He didn't notice his little slip up, but his companion didn’t comment on it either. Kyungsoo just hummed in thought, leaning back on his hands as he shifted his gaze away from Baekhyun’s face so that he could look up at the stars. “So somewhere out there is a land of peaceful dragons, huh? That sounds nice.”

Baekhyun mimicked his position, a small smile gracing his face as he looked up at the dark sky. “I’m going to find it.”

“How?” Kyungsoo asked, tilting his head to look back over at his companion.

Baekhyun didn’t take his eyes away from the sky when he responded. “There’s someone who’s looking for me right now. He can take me there.”

“He must be a dragon then.”

“He’s a prince.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Is that the one you drew? Your dragon prince?”

Baekhyun hopped up to his feet and shot Kyungsoo a grin, closing his sketchbook and putting it back into his bag. “Nah, that’s his best friend.”

Kyungsoo chuckled, a smile more genuine than Baekhyun had ever seen him make stretching his lips. “Let’s eat before the rabbit gets cold. We should start as early tomorrow as possible.”

And with that, whatever moment they’d been having came to an end. Baekhyun couldn’t be sad about it though. Saying all of that made him feel lighter than ever before. He hadn’t actually told the other about his connection to the dragon prince, but that was alright. He’d gotten a lot off his chest, and best of all, he’d grown closer to his new friend. He and Kyungsoo fit together better than he did with anyone else he knew and it made him feel content. Baekhyun was sure that the bond they’d forged that night was something greater than he’d ever had before.

♡

The next morning dawned bright and warm. Baekhyun was already feeling a little stifled in his clothes; he couldn’t imagine how Kyungsoo could stand to walk around covered head to toe in black. He didn’t bring it up though, worried it would make the other uncomfortable and push him away. Instead, he made sure to offer the other water frequently as they walked along their way.

The silence they walked comfortably in was broken by Kyungsoo around mid morning, much to Baekhyun’s surprise. Neither of them had attempted to start a conversation since the one they’d had before eating dinner the night before. Baekhyun had the impression that Kyungsoo had a lot on his mind, so he didn’t want to bother him. He figured if he had something he wanted to get off his chest, he’d get around to it eventually. He hadn’t expected it to be so soon though.

“The place I’m from is pretty far from here. It’s really uncommon for anyone to venture away from home too, so even though we have books that tell us about these parts, I don’t know too much about the area or the people. Everyone was really worried about me when they found out I had to come here, so I had to pretend it was fine even though I was also worried.”

“That sounds hard.” Baekhyun honestly couldn’t imagine having to hold in his emotions. His dreams of the Dragon Realm were the only thing he’d ever kept from his family. Aside from that, he was really close to his parents and older brother. Having to hold in his tears, fears, and pain from them was something he wasn’t sure he could do. Everyone needed an outlet for things like that, a person they trusted unconditionally.

“I’d like to say I’m used to it but--”

“You’re not. And you shouldn’t be, Kyungsoo. It’s not good to hold that shit in,” Baekhyun cut in, sound unintentionally stern.

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to be offended though. He smiled at Baekhyun so beautifully that it made the other’s heart stutter in his chest. “I know, thanks for caring Baekhyun. My best friend says the same thing. If I even try to act like I’m unbothered by everything when it’s just the two of us he lectures me for _hours._ ”

“Well, good then.” Baekhyun nods and crossed his arms which causes Kyungsoo to continue grinning even as he begins to speak again.

“I had a lot on my mind, even before I set out. My friend tried to talk to me about it, but I pushed him away. I knew he’d be there to listen if I needed but…” Kyungsoo shrugged, but it wasn’t the kind of shrug that spoke of heaviness. He seemed like he’d honestly come to terms with whatever had been going on in his head. “His situation is different than mine. He wouldn’t have understood, and then he would have felt bad about it. Some things are better worked through on your own, I think.”

Baekhyun nodded in agreement and shifted his bag so the straps dug less painfully into his shoulders. “I get that. It’s important to have someone to talk to, but not everything can be solved that easily.” Then he thought about his own situation and how good it had felt after he’d exposed a little bit of his secret to Kyungsoo. “Then again, talking to someone about something just to get it off your mind can be a big help in getting you to a solution.”

“Is that how you felt last night?”

Baekhyun’s breath caught in his throat at the sudden way their conversation veered back to the one they’d had the previous night. He didn’t regret spilling that fragment of himself to his traveling companion. Despite only knowing one another for a few days, he already saw Kyungsoo as a close friend, and he couldn’t deny the way he felt around the other. The strange sort of familiarity that had been steadily growing in Baekhyun’s mind, combined with the closeness that had easily developed between them made him sure that Kyungsoo was someone to be trusted and relied upon. The only problem lied in how unsure he still was about how to articulate his feelings towards the dragons. It was something that ran deeply through him but didn’t have a clear reason for him to express -- not one that he was aware of, anyway.

Kyungsoo had stopped walking and was staring Baekhyun directly in the eyes though, so he knew the other was serious about his question. It meant something to him; it had a purpose. Baekhyun wasn’t sure what, but he knew better than to brush it off as nothing.

“I… guess?” Baekhyun stumbled over how to respond. “There’s a lot I didn’t say but… I think that the heaviness in me dissipated a lot after talking even just a little about it. It was like I didn’t even realize how much I was carrying around with me, or how badly I wished I had someone to tell, until I actually _told_ someone. That’s why I think you might feel better if you just got it off your chest, even if the other person can’t understand what you’re going through or offer you any solutions. Does that make sense?”

Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun like he was scrutinizing him, the latter doing his best not to fidget and blush under the former’s intense gaze. As quickly as it began it was over, Kyungsoo quickly turning his head away with what Baekhyun detected to be a light blush. But before he could comment on it -- or, more accurately, _tease_ him about it -- the other was already walking again, leaving his companion to hasten after him.

“Hey, wait! _Kyungsoo!_ ”

♡

 _I’m dreaming again_ , Baekhyun realized with a start. He’d been hopeful that he’d dream of the dragon prince again, thinking that he could make more sense out of what he saw and experienced now that he knew they were connected by their dreams. He couldn’t remember drifting off to sleep, but perhaps Kyungsoo’s deep breathing from beside him had helped lull him into slumber. The details of his own world didn’t matter at that moment, though. He wanted to focus on the details around the prince so that he could try and discern his location.

All of his excitement quickly drained out of him once he’d gathered his bearings, though. It always took him a few seconds to adjust to the dreams, and within those few seconds Baekhyun was mostly only conscious of himself. That’s why he hadn’t been able to register how rapidly the Prince’s heart was beating. The frantic pounding in his chest mixed together with his labored breathing and the intense feeling of terror within him to make an overwhelming nauseating cocktail. Baekhyun had never felt an emotion so strongly before -- from himself or the Prince.

To make matters worse, on top of the Prince’s vehement combination of emotions, once Baekhyun saw what the Prince saw, he too felt like he might throw up. It was terrifying on a whole new level to be looking at his own body standing on the end of a cliff with some guy pointing a rather large and sharp looking sword at him. He’d been excited to dream as the Prince once again, but he hadn’t thought he’d have to watch himself meet his maker. 

He was scared, the Prince was scared, and he could tell just by the expression on his body’s face that, whenever this happened to him, he would be just as terror stricken. Despite the distance between them, Baekhyun could see his body trembling. He was even doing that thing where he bites the inside of his lip to keep from letting his tears spill, the evidence of which was the minute movements of his mouth.

Everything was too much for Baekhyun to handle. He wanted to close his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see. It would be better for him if he didn’t know what was bound to happen to him. But he couldn’t, no matter how much he willed it. He and the Prince weren’t on the same page at all. The Prince, his dragon prince whom he longed to meet more than anything, was determined to keep his eyes locked with Baekhyun’s own. A small part of him, somewhere in the back of his consciousness where he wasn’t overrun with fear, was grateful for the gesture. It meant that Baekhyun wouldn’t be alone.

“We just wanted to rob you, my friends and I,” the man holding the sword to Baekhyun’s throat said in faux-sadness. “But you just had to be difficult. Now my friends are dead and I’m all alone, I think it’s only fair I do the same to you, right?”

Not for the first time, he wished he could hear what the Prince was thinking. He had to have some sort of plan, and really, what was the point of being inside his head if Baekhyun couldn’t even learn that?

“I killed them, not him. You should take me.” _Oh, so his plan is just to try and reason with the bloodthirsty bandit. Great, that’s definitely going to save me._

As Baekhyun suspected, the bandit didn’t seem convinced. He laughed cruelly, his lips twisting up into a hair-raising smile. “I’m fairly certain the one who skewered my friend on that broken tree limb was this one here,” he gestured to Baekhyun’s nervous form. “But even if that weren’t the case, where would the fun be in that? If I just did what you asked of me, this would be rather boring, don’t you think?”

“Then let’s make a trade,” the Prince interjected immediately after. “I have something that’s worth a lot of money in the right places. I’ll give it to you if you let him go.”

“Hm…” the bandit hummed in thought, finger tapping on the hilt of the sword still poised to slit Baekhyun’s throat at any second. To him, it seemed obvious that the situation was futile.

“I can prove it to you, if you want.” The Prince attempted to take a step closer to the pair, despite how little good it would do, but the bandit stopped him before he could bring his other foot up.

“Oh no, you’ll be staying right where you are. I don’t need any proof either, you see, because it doesn’t really matter what you have or haven’t got on you. I’m just going to kill this pretty little thing here that you seem to care about so much, and then I’ll kill you too! Problem solved, right? I’ll have had my fun and I’ll get whatever items of value you’ve got on you before I go on my way. We’ll call it compensation for the emotional trauma you caused me when you killed my friends.”

Baekhyun felt the Prince swallow heavily and watched through his eyes as his body squeezed his eyes closed. But when he opened them again Baekhyun saw he didn’t look as scared as he had before. Instead, he looked determined and, if he was seeing things correctly, relieved. The shift was sudden and he couldn’t come up with a reason as to why his demeanor would change so abruptly. He was in the Prince’s body, so he would’ve noticed if there had been a signal of some sort. Regardless of whether or not he could understand it, Baekhyun’s body no longer looked afraid.

What happened next shocked not only Baekhyun, who was helplessly trapped within the Prince’s body, but also the Prince himself. Together, the pair of them watched in a startled mix of confusion and fear as Baekhyun took a subtle step backwards. It was done smoothly enough to not alert the bandit holding him captive, but the Prince could see his intentions clear as day. Baekhyun felt it as the Prince began to shake his head, as if to tell Baekhyun’s body across the way that he shouldn’t move, shouldn’t try to protect him. But Baekhyun knew himself to be stubborn.

His body slid back another millimeter or so, leaving him standing right at the edge of the cliff. Things happened fast after that. Baekhyun, the physical one who was not watching everything happening from within another person’s body, stepped back off the edge of the cliff with the bandit’s clothing held tightly in his fist. He’d said something -- yelled it, more accurately -- but Baekhyun couldn’t hear it over the Prince’s heartbeat and his own onslaught of thoughts.

He thought about so many things in that moment. Things like why he would step off the cliff when he knew it would surely mean his death. If he’d thought that he could survive the drop, he would have jumped immediately. The fact that he hadn’t proved that it would be a fatal fall. So then he thought about how his intentions must have been to save the Prince’s life.

There were many more insignificant thoughts that flitted through his mind in that moment. He wondered if he and Kyungsoo had ever reached his hometown together, or if Kyungsoo had found the person he was looking for. He wondered how he’d met the prince, and if they’d at least had the time to talk about the parts of their lives they hadn’t shared through dreams.

As he distantly felt the Prince running toward the edge of the cliff, thought after thought hit him. He couldn’t focus on a single one of them, nor could he fully register what was going on around him. Despite still being connected to the Prince’s sense, he felt oddly disconnected. It was like his last dream, when he’d realized the two of them were connected, and he’d woken up. It was confusing, the multitude of thoughts and emotions running through his consciousness mingling together with everything the Prince was feeling.

When the Prince dove headfirst off the cliff, Baekhyun felt a sudden burst of heat shoot through his entire body. It was jolting, not painful but very foreign. It made him feel as if he should no longer be sharing in the Prince’s senses. It was like he’d overstayed his welcome and needed to wake up. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way, or how he knew that it was important, but somehow he did. 

A sense of urgency shot through him, and this time he recognized the feeling to be his own, and not one he felt through the Prince. Someone was calling him. Was it the Prince shouting his name? Or was it Kyungsoo, back in their temporary campground, attempting to wake him? Was he thrashing and writhing in pain? Did Kyungsoo think he was having a nightmare?

“Baekhyun!” The voice shouted again, and suddenly he was staring up into Kyungsoo’s concerned brown eyes.

“Kyung… soo…” Baekhyun’s tone was awash with confusion, his mind still foggy and disoriented from the abrupt change. His voice was so hoarse it sounded like he’d attempted to trek back home without a drop of water.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo queried in a hushed voice, still looking down at him worriedly.

Baekhyun nodded once, and allowed his companion to help him sit up. He felt shaky, his hands quivering as he attempted to hold himself up. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just need a drink.”

Kyungsoo left his side momentarily to get him what he asked for, and luckily he didn’t fall over without the extra support. As the seconds ticked by and he awaited the promised water, he slowly felt like he was coming back to himself. It seemed the side effects of the dream were wearing off quickly enough, which he found to be relieving. Despite knowing that scene was one he’d have to face eventually, he wanted to forget it for as long as possible.

When his companion returned with the water, Baekhyun drank eagerly. It was only once he’d had his fill that he realized Kyungsoo was acting strange. He kept glancing off into the trees with a thinly veiled frown marring his lips. It was just his luck that even after escaping a future scene of dreadful events he’d wake up to find another one waiting for him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked apprehensively, following Kyungsoo’s gaze into the darkness. He heard nothing out of the ordinary for a forest, and he saw nothing but black, but neither of those things were comforting to him when Kyungsoo seemed so bothered.

“It’s nothing,” Kyungsoo replied with a shake of his head, although the smile he sent Baekhyun’s way was contradictory to his words of reassurance.

“Soo, just tell me if you think something’s wrong. Please,” he tacked on, shooting the other his best puppy dog eyes.

Kyungsoo’s lips flattened in response, staring blankly a Baekhyun’s attempt at a cute expression to show how unimpressed he was. Baekhyun didn’t let up though, and eventually the other was caving in with a sigh of annoyance that didn’t sound convincing in the least. “Right before you started tossing and turning I thought I’d heard something. It was probably nothing though, so don’t worry about it.”

It was Baekhyun’s turn to be unimpressed. “The first time we met I hadn’t even touched you and you had me on my back with a dagger to my throat. I think trusting your judgment is a good call.” He paused. “Should we go take a look?”

“Should we go take a--” Kyungsoo repeated incredulously, cutting himself off before he even finished. “It’s truly unbelievable how much of an idiot you can be. I’m seriously surprised you managed to survive the trip to the city you made when you first moved.”

“I’m not an idiot! It just doesn’t make any sense to sit around and wait for whatever’s out there to come find us and eat us, jeez. You don’t need to call me names,” Baekhyun huffed. He considered telling him how when he’d made the trip to the city his master had accompanied him, but thought better of it considering it only furthered Kyungsoo’s point.

“Haven’t you ever read a horror story before? Or even just heard one? Every time a character goes looking for whatever made the strange sound, they die. It’s classic.”

“Oh yeah, and how would you know this? I thought things were really different from whenever it is you’re from,” he shot back instantly.

“Some things are universal, Baek.” Kyungsoo’s reply made it sound as if that was supposed to be obvious, which it was definitely not.

“Well how am I supposed to --” Baekhyun’s rebuttal was cut off by a strange noise echoing between the trees. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo replied grimly, rising to his feet with the other male close behind.

“So, now do we take a look or…”

This time there was no protesting from Kyungsoo. Instead, he slid his hand into the fabric around his waist and pulled out the dagger he’d used on Baekhyun when they’d first met. “Stay close to me.”

He grabbed the back of Kyungsoo’s shirt unhesitatingly, and for a tense few seconds Baekhyun was sure the former was going to scold him for acting childishly and hindering his movements. The scolding never came though, and he was grateful. It might have been his idea to go looking for the ominous noise, but he didn’t want to be left alone no matter where they went. Not for the first time since they met up, he found himself immensely grateful that he met Kyungsoo along the way.

The pair walked along silently through the dark forest, Kyungsoo seeming to have a superb handle on where they were going and how to step without making a lot of noises. It was remarkable, really. Baekhyun wasn’t sure how he accomplished it considering he couldn’t see a thing except for when the canopy of leaves lessened and the moonlight shone through, something that was few and far between.

Eventually they came to a stop, Kyungsoo maneuvering them so that they’d be out of sight of the group they’d stumbled upon. (Baekhyun had a suspicion that, somehow, Kyungsoo had known exactly where to go.) What was once a small clearing now stood occupied by three men and their horses. They held small glass lanterns with lit candles inside, enough to light their way but not bright enough to alert anyone of their presence until they were right on top of them. It was obvious to the both of them what these men were.

Instantly, a wave of queasiness washed over Baekhyun, causing him to grip Kyungsoo’s shirt tighter in his fist. His companion looked back over his shoulder at him, the concern on his face barely illuminated by the candlelights. He wanted to reassure him that he was fine, but if either of them spoke the bandits would hear them and they’d be captured -- or worse, killed. Baekhyun wasn’t ready to handle another life or death situation again so soon after his dream.

It seemed he needn't worry about it though, because barely a moment later Kyungsoo was leading them back away from the clearing. They retraced their steps but didn’t return to their campsite. Instead Kyungsoo led them away and off to the right where there were two trees that had grown too close to one another and amalgamated.

Gently, Kyungsoo pushed Baekhyun onto the ground behind the tree before squatting down himself. “They have horses so we’d never make it if we tried to escape. I think it’s safe to assume they know we’re out here somewhere, too. I’m going to go back and take care of them, you stay here and wait for me, alright?”

Before his companion could stand up, Baekhyun grabbed his arm to keep him in place. Kyungsoo raised an inquisitive eyebrow to show he was listening, but Baekhyun neither released his grip nor did he meet his gaze. Instead, his eyes remained trained on the patch of sky he could see above them.

“You’re… going to kill them, aren’t you?” He finally asked softly. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand. For all his playful whining and childish humor, Baekhyun was by no means naive. He understood that traveling was dangerous, and that a lot of situations could turn into kill or be killed. He’d never killed anyone before though, and if he knew someone who had, they weren’t loose lipped about it. It was hard for him to wrap his head around, even if he knew it was a necessary evil if he wanted to survive. Maybe it didn’t even have anything to do with that. Maybe he was just so shaken because of his dream. No matter the reason, he was shaken by it nonetheless.

“Baek,” Kyungsoo murmured, slipping out of his hold in order to grasp his hands tightly. “Everything is going to be alright. I’ll do my best to keep them alive, if that’s what you want. I can take their weapons and knock them unconscious, and then we can take their horses and leave.”

“Really?” He bit his lip.

Kyungsoo nodded his assurance, giving another squeeze to console him. “Of course. I’d rather leave them alive if I can help it anyway.”

“I have another dagger with me that I’m going to leave with you just in case.” He went to reach into the fabric around his waist to retrieve it but was stopped.

“Don’t bother,” Baekhyun denied with a shake of his head. “I don’t know how to use one. My father wasn’t a fan of weapons, he prefered to fight using his fists, if such a thing was necessary at all. I inherited his views on violence, so I never learned how to wield any weapons. I’ll have to make do with my body if it comes to a fight.”

“But it’s still better to have one. At the very least if you stab someone with it, they’ll bleed,” Kyungsoo protested and attempted to shake Baekhyun’s grip off.

“No,” he was adamant. “It’ll be more useful in your hands. Go on, Kyungsoo. If we waste too much time talking we’ll be caught unaware.” His companion looked more than reluctant to leave him alone and it made him feel warm all over. “I promise I’ll be fine. I’ll hide here and wait for you, and if I have to run off, I’m sure you’ll find me once you’re done. Now _go_.”

With a light shove Kyungsoo was sent on his way. Baekhyun tried to watch him go, but the blackness of the night quickly overtook his companion and left him alone. Before, he hadn’t wanted to be left on his own and that hadn’t really changed. But the situation had, and he knew it was best for Kyungsoo to go on his own. He trusted him to stay alive, and to come back for him after everything was said and done. That didn’t make crouching alone in the dark, surrounded by trees where bandits lurked any less frightening, but he’d just have to suck it up and deal. Once Kyungsoo came back he could complain all he wanted because he knew the other would entertain his grumbling. Until then he’d just have to wait.

♡

It was hard to tell the passage of time when the only light that was provided happened to filter through a head sized opening in the canopy of the leaves. His nervous heartbeat also made it feel like time was ticking by slower than it actually was. He wasn’t able to gauge how much time had passed since Kyungsoo had left him alone. He didn’t know if it had been mere minutes since his companion went off into the trees, or if hours had passed. He thought it might be somewhere in the middle, but he couldn’t be sure. What he _was_ sure of was that his legs were cramping and if he sat still much longer he’d turn into a statue.

So despite his better judgement, Baekhyun did an idiotic thing like standing up. He was still hidden behind the tree, but that would only provide cover for him if a bandit approached from the direction they’d come from. He reasoned the same could be said regardless of whether he was crouched down or not so it didn’t make sense for him to suffer uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure whether or not he regretted that reasoning when he heard the leaves rustle right behind him.

Fight or flight instincts kicked in and Baekhyun found himself running in the opposite direction. He didn’t dare look back to see if he was being chased, he just ran. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was, in fact, being pursued thanks to the sound of a whip meeting a nearby tree. It made his heart leap into his throat, but tried to tamp down his alarmed reaction. It wouldn’t do him any good to be panicking and nervous, it would only hinder his movements and his judgement. It was easier said than done, though, when the whip shot out again and grazed his arm hard enough to send his bodyweight careening into a tree he’d attempted to avoid.

He slammed against the rough bark suddenly, unable to break his fall due to the unexpected nature of the movement. He hadn’t had time to react, and the hit stunned him long enough to allow the bandit pursuing him to catch up. Baekhyun was just shaking off his daze and hurrying to his feet, adrenaline still pumping hotly in his veins, when the whip shot out again. This time he avoided it, albeit in a clumsy manner, by thinking quickly and hauling himself into the air using the low hanging branch of the tree he’d crashed into. He could tell as he hit the ground again that the branch wasn’t stable and couldn’t be used in another maneuver like that again, though, so he’d have to come up with another plan.

It seemed his avoidance of the attack had surprised his attacker enough for him to be slower to withdraw his whip, which Baekhyun took advantage of. Without allowing himself time to overthink his movement, he grabbed ahold of the whip and pulled, further startling the bandit. The handle was ripped from his hand though, which also surprised Baekhyun, who hadn’t been expecting his assailant to let go so easily. The weapon shot back towards him quickly, barely giving him the chance to drop the end he was holding and dive out of the way. The momentum shot the weapon somewhere behind Baekhyun, which meant the bandit wouldn’t be able to retrieve it easily. Although that was a moot point if he had another weapon on him like a smart person would, but Baekhyun was forced to work with what he had.

Pushing himself off the ground and gritting his teeth against the sting along his shins and palms, Baekhyun rushed forward toward the bandit who had also began approaching him. The met in the middle, the clash a swinging of fists. Whether or not he had another weapon was a question Baekhyun didn’t have time to think about as he did as his dad had taught him and fought the bandit using hand to hand combat. It was hard, harder than any of the sparring he’d ever done with his dad or brother. It was scarier too, because his life was really on the line and if he made one mistake or left himself open unintentionally even in the slightest, it could be the end of him.

With thoughts like that swirling around in his head, everything felt like a blur. He wasn’t entirely conscious of how his body moved, he just let his instincts take over. That’s why he was surprised when he realized that in their frenzy they’d moved through the trees. The area they had ventured into had a lot of strange and mangled looking trees. Baekhyun wasn’t sure what had happened there, and certainly didn’t have the time to puzzle it out, but it was obvious the trees were unhealthy and even brittle in some cases. It was a dangerous area to be in, he quickly assessed when he dodged a punch and the bandit’s fist easily splintered the dead tree.

Baekhyun ducked under his assailant's arm and attempted to move back the way they’d come but the bandit wasn’t having it. They engaged in fighting again, but Baekhyun wasn’t having much trouble pushing his opponent back. It seemed that he was overconfident in his abilities, and Baekhyun figured the only weapon he’d had on him was the now disappeared whip. Although he was physically fit, it wasn’t an advantage over Baekhyun, who hadn’t let himself go despite moving to the city to paint. His skill level far outmatched that of the bandit’s, allowing him to get a solid kick in before long.

The force of the well aimed kick sent the bandit stumbling backward. He landed on the ground with a pain filled yelp. Baekhyun didn’t advance further, keeping his stance while he attempted to catch his breath, all while waiting for the bandit to rise again and resume his attacks. It never happened, though. Instead, he continued to lay there, unmoving. After considering for a few seconds, he decided to hesitantly approach where the bandit lay. He was still on the defensive, ready for his opponent to spring back up suddenly and attempt to end Baekhyun’s life, if that had even been his plan to begin with. Once Baekhyun was close enough to see even in the weak dawn light that had appeared sometime during his fight, he realized that he wouldn’t have to worry about fighting that particular bandit again.

The bandit lay dead on the ground, impaled by one of the sickly looking branches that had fallen from a nearby tree. It was an accident, of course. Baekhyun hadn’t meant to kill him, but he couldn’t deny being a bit relieved. He didn’t have to worry about being killed -- at least not by _that_ bandit. What happened to Kyungsoo and the bandit’s companions was beyond him at that moment, but he knew he couldn’t dwell there for much longer. Once he caught his breath, he’d need to go in search of Kyungsoo.

While he was leaning against the sturdiest nearby tree that he could find, he took stock of his wounds. He wasn’t bruised up just yet, but he knew come the afternoon it’d be obvious he’d been in a fight with someone. He had abrasions along his shins, as he suspected, and a few small cuts on his palms that needed to have the dirt washed from them, but other than that he was doing alright. Much better than he’d feared he would be if he encountered one of the bandits. Perhaps he was lucky and encountered the weakest of the trio.

He decided he’d spent enough time lingering and righted himself after he finished his inspection. He was tired, exhausted even, now that he’d calmed down and the adrenaline had stopped pumping through his system, but he knew he couldn’t stop moving. He pushed on, navigating as best he could in the direction he thought he’d come from. At the time he’d been too distracted to properly track his movements, but it was getting increasingly lighter as the sun rose, despite the thick canopy of leaves that had previously shrouded him in darkness. Soon enough he found himself back where he started, the tree Kyungsoo had hidden him behind. No one was there waiting for him though, and it made him uneasy.

The fight might have made him braver -- or as Kyungsoo would say, stupider -- but he didn’t feel right just waiting for Kyungsoo to return to him again. Instead he decided he should find the other first and set out on his way. He made a quick pitstop at the stream he knew was nearby their campsite to clean his wounds and take a drink, not realizing how thirsty he was until he’d seen the surface of the water. After replenishing himself he had a decision to make about which direction to start his search.

Or, that’s what he thought he needed to do. It turned out a bit differently than his expectations. Just as he was getting up from his knees, he heard Kyungsoo’s voice shouting for him. The warning had come too late to do him any good though. He looked up just in time to see one of the bandits scoop him up like a sack of potatoes and take off with him hanging over his shoulder. It was disorienting for Baekhyun, who only began to comprehend that he’d been abducted when he saw Kyungsoo chasing after them a some feet behind.

Obviously he began to squirm. He was taken like a sitting duck and he scolded himself for becoming too lax, but that didn’t mean he was going to continue to make it easy for the bandit who’d grabbed him. The squirming and wiggling did little to help him to escape and only seemed to irritate the large man further. The sense of dread within him only grew when he was let down harshly and saw where they’d ended up.

Baekhyun was standing near the edge of a cliff with a large and sharp looking sword up against his throat. And there, some feet away, stood Kyungsoo, huffing and puffing and looking like he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to get angry or break down and cry. It was an expression he hadn’t seen on the other before, and it made his heart ache. If he could, Baekhyun would have liked to reach out and give Kyungsoo some form of comfort. He liked to have his hair stroked when he was upset, so maybe Kyungsoo would too.

Still, even as Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder and measured the drop to the rocks below, he hadn’t fully realized what was happening just yet. It was similar. Everything was so, _so_ similar to the dream he’d had of his dragon prince. But that didn’t make any sense, and it was too much for him to comprehend at that very confusing moment. So he remained in denial up until the words he remembered very clearly were spoken once again.

“We just wanted to rob you, my friends and I. But you just had to be difficult. Now my friends are dead and I’m all alone, I think it’s only fair I do the same to you, right?”

It felt strange for Baekhyun to be on the opposite side of the conversation. When he’d experienced the scene before, he’d felt what the Prince had felt. He’d seen himself holding back his tears while trembling under the bandit’s sword, but he hadn’t _felt_ those things in the same way he did once he was back in his own body again. Everything was so different that it only served to stir the confusion already swirling around in his mind. He desperately wanted to grasp onto what it all meant, but he didn’t know how to slow his thoughts down to a manageable speed.

“I killed them, not him. You should take me.” _Don’t bother Kyungsoo, he won’t believe you._

“I’m fairly certain the one who skewered my friend on that broken tree limb was this one here.” He gestured just like Baekhyun remembered him to. “But even if that weren’t the case, where would the fun be in that? If I just did what you asked of me, this would be rather boring, don’t you think?”

 _Now he’ll offer a trade that won’t be accepted,_ Baekhyun narrated the scene in his mind without thinking about _why_ exactly he knew what would happen.

“Then let’s make a trade. I have something that’s worth a lot of money in the right places. I’ll give it to you if you let him go.”

“Hm…” Baekhyun’s gazed moved blankly over to where the bandit tapped his finger against the hilt of his sword.

“I can prove it to you, if you want.” _Don’t come closer, he’ll tell you._

“Oh no, you’ll be staying right where you are. I don’t need any proof either, you see, because it doesn’t really matter what you have or haven’t got on you. I’m just going to kill this pretty little thing here that you seem to care about so much, and then I’ll kill you too! Problem solved, right? I’ll have had my fun and I’ll get whatever items of value you’ve got on you before I go on my way. We’ll call it compensation for the emotional trauma you caused me when you killed my friends.”

And then Baekhyun allowed his eyes to travel back over to his companion. When his eyes met Kyungsoo’s, Baekhyun felt understanding crash over his body like an ocean wave. Everything that he’d subconsciously began to decipher since the scene began hit him like a tidal wave and threatened to pull him under. He was stronger than that, though, and he knew it. He’d seen it. And now, suddenly he could understand why he’d closed his eyes for that brief minute. He could understand what changed in himself to make him look so at ease when he’d opened them again. 

It was Kyungsoo. The dragon prince -- _his_ dragon prince -- he’d set out to find was the traveler from far away whom he’d befriended. The one who told him he was looking for someone important. The one who’d been kind to Baekhyun and listened to him without judgment. It all made sense. Kyungsoo knew that he was the human he was searching for. Baekhyun couldn’t be sure when he’d figured it out, but at the very least he must have realized when he’d seen Baekhyun’s drawing of Chanyeol’s dragon form. Of course he’d recognize his own best friend. That was more than enough proof of his identity, but Kyungsoo had withheld from telling him and Baekhyun wanted to know why.

It wasn’t the right time to ask such questions, obviously, but regardless of his unanswered questions the knowledge of who Kyungsoo was made Baekhyun rest assured that the right time would come very soon. So instead of allowing himself to focus on the epiphany he’d just had, Baekhyun focused on the task at hand. He had a job to do and it was important he carry it out just like he’d done in his dream. That’s why he took a tiny step backwards. That’s why he grabbed onto the bandit’s clothing and tugged him along as he stepped off the ledge.

That’s why he yelled, “Come save me, Prince Kyungsoo!” just before he fell backwards off the cliff.

What happened after that was incomprehensible, but to Baekhyun it felt inexplicably right. He was free falling, the bandit more focused on trying to save his own life than ending Baekhyun’s at that point. The wind was whipping through his hair and his stomach had dropped the moment he’d begun his descent, but he found himself smiling without a single drop of fear within his body. Any normal person would have been terrified in his situation, but Baekhyun wasn’t a normal person and he knew Kyungsoo wasn’t either. Maybe it was just faith, but he felt that it was something even stronger that had him feeling at ease even as he plummeted towards the rocky bottom of the cliff.

Through squinted eyes that stung with tears as a result of the the drop, he witnessed Kyungsoo -- a very human looking Kyungsoo -- dive head first off the cliff after him. Only seconds later, instead of the flesh and bone human that he’d come to know, there was a magnificent dragon taking his place. He was beautiful -- _Kyungsoo_ was beautiful -- and Baekhyun knew in that moment that regardless of the numerous dragons he was bound to encounter from then on, none would ever be more in his eyes than Kyungsoo.

The Prince swooped down in a spiral, maneuvering his body so that Baekhyun could grab onto his large body and wiggle his way up the dragon’s broad back. He was quick to get comfortably situated at the base of Kyungsoo’s neck, hands gripping his dark horns in order to remain seated. Not even a moment later they were shooting off through the air in the opposite direction and pulling steeply up along the face of the cliff. It was an exhilarating experience that left Baekhyun both breathless from awe and joyous laughter. 

They continued to soar across the skies together for a while longer, though Kyungsoo was sure to avoid rising higher than the treeline where they would be exposed more openly to anyone’s view. Eventually, however, the dragon had to alight, the events of the day having taken a lot out of him. Instead of settling in the nearest available clearing or returning to their campsite, the dragon prince chose to follow his senses to the nearby lake before touching back down again.

Baekhyun slowly slid down Kyungsoo’s back after the Prince had lowered his body to the ground to lessen the distance for the human. He landed on his feet with a quiet thud, but it still took him a minute to reorient to being on solid ground with his own two feet supporting him. His jelly legs persisted for a good few minutes in which he clung to Kyungsoo for support. The silence during that time wasn’t strained, but it was clear that they both had a lot of things to say.

Once Baekhyun was confident that he wouldn’t fall onto his ass without Kyungsoo’s body as support, he took a few steps away from his companion and turned to look him in his startlingly green eyes. He’d been so swept up in the moments before that he hadn’t really gotten to look at Kyungsoo. Sure, he’d been able to recognize how beautiful his dragon was, but he hadn’t been able to fully appreciate it when they’d been basking in the euphoria of flying together for the first time. Surely he’d never forget the first moment he looked into Kyungsoo’s eyes when he wasn’t human.

“You’re so beautiful,” Baekhyun breathed in awe, hand reaching out subconsciously to run the length of Kyungsoo’s snout. His scales appeared to be a milky color at first glance, but standing as close as he was, he could see that there was so much more than he’d originally thought there was. The morning sunlight illuminated the true color of Kyungsoo’s scales, showing that there was a pale colored rainbow in each and every one. They were smooth to the touch, allowing Baekhyun to run his fingers across them almost as if he were skimming the surface of water, and they emanated Kyungsoo’s comforting warmth. What caught Baekhyun’s eye the most was how there were little veins of gold running across his body in various places. The thin little slivers twisted around, appearing and disappearing until they came together to wrap around the two black horns that protruded out of the dragon prince’s head.

Kyungsoo had remained completely still as Baekhyun ran his hands over his body, barely daring to breathe lest he break whatever spell the latter was under. After the third time he’d felt his companion’s hands smooth across his flank, he breathed out a shuddering breath and seemed to collapse in on himself. Baekhyun stepped back with wide eyes, worried something had happened, but when Kyungsoo only curled in on himself for a moment before returning back to his human form, he allowed himself to step closer again.

“Baekhyun…” Kyungsoo began cautiously.

“Kyungsoo…” He bit his lip as his eyes roamed the man standing before him. “I’ve waited so long to learn your name.”

Kyungsoo was making a face like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, the expression only serving to fill Baekhyun’s heart further with warmth. “I’ve been waiting a long time, too. Longer than you can even imagine.”

“Yeah? Why don’t you tell me about it?”

They looked into one another’s eyes, something crackling in the air between them before Kyungsoo broke their eye contact and motioned for them to sit on the rocks nestled between the shore of the lake and the cliff. Baekhyun moved without a word, climbing up next to him without complaint despite how it aggravated the ache in his body from the fighting he’d done not that long ago.

“I guess I can skip the parts you already know -- my being a dragon, a prince, et cetera. The best place to start, then, would be the Festival of Eternal Dreams. It’s a scared coming of age that every dragon goes through. Each spring, all of the dragons who are reaching their hundredth year gather at the capital city to have their ceremony. It’s not done individually, all that happens is the dragons reaching the age of maturity take a drink from the Dreampool. It’s a really big celebration though, and the festival part is enjoyed by everyone, not just those who’re coming of age.

The Dreampool has been around ever since the dragons first came into existence. There’s a myth about it that’s popular to tell children, but the truth is that no one really knows how or when it all came about. It’s just always been this way. I’ll tell you the story another time though, for now I’d just like to get this all off my chest. It’s kind of been weighing on me for a while.” At Baekhyun’s affirming nod, Kyungsoo continued. “Dragons have soulmates, as strange as you might think that sounds. Humans don’t have that concept though, so once I realized you were human I knew my journey to finding my soulmate was going to be a lot harder than most others’.”

Baekhyun’s breath hitched at Kyungsoo’s use of the term soulmate but he tried to keep his calm facade. Honestly, he was dying to blurt out the million and one questions that were popping up left and right in his head, but he knew that he needed to let Kyungsoo talk first. It was more than likely that most of his questions would get answered by the end of the explanation anyway. He could wait while Kyungsoo worked it out, just as the other had done for him that night by the fire.

“The Dreampool is how dragons connect with their other halves. Once we come of age and drink from the pool we open the connection between our souls. Of course, if your mate is younger than you at the time of your ceremony, the connection won’t open until your mate goes through their own. But that’s not uncommon and, although I guess some are disappointed, it’s not cause for concern. Life just goes on after that, and when the connection opens, it’s an amazing thing.”

“The connection is the dreams,” Baekhyun couldn’t help but cut in when the realization dawned on him.

A nod. “It’s a pretty simple system. Once the connection is open on both sides, the dreams begin. You dream of real experiences that your soulmate has had, and as the dreams become more frequent, you learn more about them. Never too much though. You don’t get to know their name, and you can’t ever see what they look like. Drinking from the Dreampool is only the first half of it. The second half is _finding_ your mate. Normally it’s not too difficult to do. Mates are aware of each other and are actively searching so it doesn’t take much time. You and I are a little different though.”

“Because I’m human,” Baekhyun said grimly, feeling a sharp pain in his chest when he saw how upset Kyungsoo had started to look. He remembered how distraught the dragon had felt on the hill with Chanyeol when they’d talked about him.

“I never cared. It never mattered to me.” He reached over and picked up Baekhyun’s hand, gently holding it in his own, mindful of the cuts and scrapes littering his palm.

“I made it harder for you though. It would have been better if--”

“ _Don’t_ say that. _Don’t._ ” Kyungsoo’s response was fierce and protective, instantly shutting Baekhyun up. “You’re my soulmate, Baekhyun. _You_ and nobody else. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t harder for me because you’re a human but I never once regretted you and I never will. I know this is probably a lot for you but--”

“I feel it too, Kyungsoo. When I had that dream and realized that you were real and that you were looking for me… I don’t even know how to describe the way I felt. All those years of dreaming of you, you’ve always been the person closest to me. Out of everyone I know, I feel like I know you best. And Chanyeol, of course. Can’t forget about him!”

Kyungsoo laughed, showing his soulmate a watery smile that made him squeeze his hand tightly. When Kyungsoo squeezed back, Baekhyun smiled. “I had a feeling you were the one when we met. Dragons can sense their mates once the timing is right, but it wasn’t as clear to me because you’re human and your senses are duller compared to mine. I wasn’t sure until I saw your sketch of Chanyeol.”

The mention of that night brings Baekhyun back to one of the questions that had crossed his mind right before he’d stepped backward off that cliff. _Why didn’t he tell me?_ He wanted to ask, but he also felt like he already knew the answer. Kyungsoo had never expected that he’d need to have a conversation about soulmates with his own. Until his connection opened up with Baekhyun, he’d assumed he’d have a dragon mate like most others did. It must have been scary for him, even if he genuinely wanted to be with him. Baekhyun could understand that, because even though he felt drawn to Kyungsoo in a way he knew he’d never be able to deny, it wasn’t something he’d ever thought would happen to him. Both of them were sort of stumbling around in the dark, but he felt like he didn’t have to be worried as long as they were together. Much like his dreams, it felt right and that was enough for him.

“I’m glad we finally met. And I’m sorry you had to wait so long for me, Soo. But how did you know that you should come find me when you did? The dreams had started getting closer and closer together, but I remember you said something to Chanyeol about a pull? What does that mean?”

Kyungsoo guided Baekhyun’s hand to push the sleeve of his shirt up, exposing his arm. A gasp left the human’s mouth as he stared down at the sight presented to him. It looked like a normal human arm, for the most part. However it was the random patches of scales that were scattered across his skin that indicated he wasn’t entirely human. Suddenly, his strange choice of clothing made sense.

“You’re not sick, are you?” Baekhyun asked worriedly with a wrinkled brow, fingers gliding over his soulmate’s skin.

Kyungsoo caught his wandering hand and held it in his own once more. “You don’t need to worry, this happens to all dragons when the pull intensifies. When the time for a pairing to meet begins to approach the dragons experience a strong urge, or pull, to seek each other out. It causes us to lose control over our forms a bit. That’s normally something people are excited to show off because it means they’re mating is near, but since I’m the prince people worried excessively over the fact that my mate is a human. I didn’t want to hear them talk, so I covered it up whenever I wasn’t alone. And obviously I can’t go wandering around human lands with partially scaly skin.”

Baekhyun’s lips quirked up in amusement. “No, I guess not. How do we fix it, though? It bothers you, right?”

 

“I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t stressed out about the prospect of needing to find you once it started happening, because I was. It felt really sudden, even though I’d been having dreams of you for over a decade. Dragons are practically immortal, so that’s not particularly a long time for us in terms of our life span, but it’s certainly a long time for a soulmate connection. I guess I’d gotten used to the idea of having more time and then when there was none left I panicked. Like I said before though, I don’t regret you and I’m not ashamed, Baek. I’m really happy. The scales will fix themselves once we officially mate.”

Baekhyun swallowed, shyly looking into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “How do we… mate?”

Instantly the dragon’s cheeks grew pink. “I-I… we can just take our time with that! You said you wanted to go to the dragon realm, right? So we’ve got plenty of time to get to the m-mating side of things. N-no rush.”

He couldn’t help but giggle at Kyungsoo’s adorable reaction, leaning more of his bodyweight onto the dragon prince. “Okay, that sounds good to me. We’ll take our time and do things our own way. We’re already different compared to other soulmates anyway, we might as well embrace our individuality, right?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Good. Then I just have one more question for you, Prince Kyungsoo.”

It was more than obvious by Baekhyun’s tone of voice that he was about to tease him -- Kyungsoo had spent many years experiencing things from his soulmate’s point of view, after all. He wanted to see more of that beautiful smile and hear more of that carefree laughter though, so he just raised an inquisitive eyebrow in response and said nothing about it.

“Will you kiss me?”

**Author's Note:**

> First off, to begin this long ass author's note I'd like to apologize for any mistakes you might find throughout the fic. I only just finished writing it yesterday because I ended up scrapping the original (which I'd already written 10,000 words of lmao) and I'm leaving for college tomorrow morning so I only had time to go over this very quickly once. Next, I'd like to say to my prompter that I really liked your prompt. I had so many ideas for this, it made it difficult for me to write it. I love fantasy!aus, dragons in particular. I've never written anything in this genre before though, so I was really out of my comfort zone. That being said, I'm not sure I was able to do your prompt justice. I struggle a lot with what to include, what to imply, and how to pace this damn thing. Really, it was a thorn in my side, but it's a thorn I'm very fond of. I can't say this is my best work, and I only just got back into writing recently, but I'm proud to have finished this without absolutely hating it. I hope everyone enjoyed it and won't be too upset that it's mostly build up to a kiss scene that I didn't even actually write out!
> 
> If you do happen to be a bit miffed that I didn't include more romantic fluff (or smut) in the fic, all I can say is same. I was planning on it, but rewriting it so close to the deadline when I had so much going on in life ended up making that not happen. I decided to end it where I did because I couldn't think of another stopping point quite as good as that one. But, maybe one day I will revisit this universe and write more of their story for you. I wouldn't hold your breath though because I'm a slow writer who has a lot of wips. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! (maybe leave a comment as motivation to write more in this universe!!)


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